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Friday, 26 August 2016

Revolution Show Hastings, 2016

In May I was thrilled to be part of the Revolution show in Hastings. In this show Revolt Motorcycles showcased a great mix of custom and classic motorcycles alongside a whole gallery of motorcycle based art. The location was the Observer building in Hastings, the old print works for the local newspaper.

1904 Buchet

(ink sketch)

The Buchet started life as just an engine. Jake Robbins, famed for his girder fork work, was commissioned to create the rest. Jake managed to track down the only other known Buchet of this year and model, which was in Australia. The owner kindly traced round the frame by laying it down on a large sheet of paper and drawing round it. Measurements were taken of the tube widths and lug work so that Jake could make a replica frame and forks. Jake has done an amazing job, fabricating all the various aspect of this veteran machine.

It is unusual to see early machines like this at what is mainly a custom show. The variety of machines on show was great, as it provided a great insight into what people are building, be it modern customs or replicas such as this. You could argue that this is a custom motorcycle by the fact it has all been hand made in the same way a good custom motorcycle is, but I think replica is more appropriate as Jake has done such a great job creating a period machine.

One item of note is the fact that the engine is mounted very low with not much ground clearance. This may be because the original was built as a cycle pacer, as a roadster would surely have had more ground clearance, due to the roads being rather bumpy back then…

Kingdom of Kicks vs Will Barras Triumph Chopper

(ink sketch)

This was my favourite custom of the show as it used the combined talent of Kingdom of Kicks and the abstract talent of Will Barras. The bike was assembled days before the show, hence some unfinished bits like a missing brake line etc. this didn't matter as it stood out as a full on motorcycle that plays on the traditions of choppers whilst doing it's own thing.

Harris Turbo

(ink sketch)

It was the engine that attracted me to this Harris racer turned custom. The turbo on the engine was original to the race machine that has now been changed into a custom, which apparently won't be ridden which is a shame, as at the heart of this custom is a real race machine that could easily be raced on a track or even sprinted to do what was originally intend by Harris.